No jail time for mother of two convicted in double murder

A Camden woman will serve no jail time for helping her children hide evidence of a double murder they committed in 2010.

Arnetta Welch, 42, was sentenced to two years of probation in Superior Court in Camden on Friday. She previously pleaded guilty to hindering apprehension.

Dressed in black pants and a pink shirt, Welch said little other than to respond to questions from Judge Richard F. Wells, who said she would be subject to random drug testing.

He also reminded Welch that if she violated the terms of probation, she could face 18 months in prison.

Welch's attorney, Felicia Felder, told Wells that Welch had voluntarily entered a mental health treatment program in Cherry Hill, and that her illness may prevent her from being able to work.

Welch was charged with a fourth-degree offense because those she helped were her children, according to Camden County Assistant Prosecutor Christine Shah. The law requires that the charge be downgraded in cases involving children, spouses, and parents.

Prosecutors have said Welch helped two of her teenage children hide evidence of their involvement in the murder of a Burlington County couple at her home in 2010, officials said.

After Michael Hawkins, 23, and Muriah Huff, 18, were tortured and killed at her Berkley Street house in February 2010, investigators said, she bought cleaning supplies and helped remove evidence of the crimes.

The murders stemmed from a gang-related dispute between her children and Hawkins, officials said, and Huff was killed for her association with Hawkins. The two were found buried in Welch's backyard.

Welch's daughter and son, Shatara Carter, now 19, and Dennis Welch, now 24, pleaded guilty. They were two of 10 people imprisoned for their roles in the killings.

Welch declined to comment after the hearing.